Suds: June 22

Unfortunately for my beer consumption I live in DC[1]. Fortunately I live in a place with a great amount of history—both American in that Norman-Rockwell-meets-William-Jennings-Brian sort of way, and the Ian MacKaye, cultural sort of way.

This week’s City Paper features an article about the influential yet enigmatic Bad Brains, a DC staple and a cassette regular for me and my friends in high school. To me, the hardest part  about the article is accepting that we’re 30 years removed from Bad Brains, and only a little less removed from Black Flag, Minor Threat and Fugazi. The article deals with the how the band has transitioned through time, but it stands in well for how the city itself has found itself caught in a number of musical stylings. Two music styles—jazz and hardcore punk—claim proprietary heritage in this city. But it’s 2012 now, and both seem sort of dated (ask Steve Albini…).

So we need to ask: what’s next for DC? I’m not sure just yet, but we can always enjoy things like this.

Need something hardcore to drink? Let’s give a little love to the Wisconsin ex-pats running Chocolate City Brewing in Washington, DC. Grab a copper lager, and let’s get to Suds.

-Need an intensely-hopped recipe? Northern Brewer has you covered, per usual.

-Guys Drinking (and occasionally Opining on) Beer with another great look at the legal hurdles craft brewers face in Illinois.

-MN drinkers: Founder Flight Night at Pig & Fiddle.

-Sorry for neglecting you for so long, Nebraska (although our beloved Badgers already did that…). Great stuff from a vibrant beer scene.

-Beer Here: 3rd Wheel from O’So Brewing in beautiful Plover, WI.

-Cool video profile on 3 Sheep’s Brewery in Sheboygan.

-Do you like good beer? Well, then help kickstart this brewery!

-Finally, it’s draft night in the NHL. I’m waiting to see where the big names—Luongo, Nash, perhaps even Stahl—end up when the dust has settled.

[1] Things are getting much better. At first, I just wanted someone to give me a Bedlam…

Stay cool with a cold beer. Follow us on Twitter (@midwestbeer), Facebook or send an email to mwbeercollective@gmail.com.

Suds: June 20

Okay, so it’s a little hot today. PBR stands in nicely if you don’t want to drink water anymore, you’ll sweat it right out. On the upside, it’s the first day of summer, and that means you need to plan some sort of trip that allows you to float down a river. Tributaries like the Kickapoo, with it’s fantastic glacial markings, that feed into the Wisconsin River are a little bit low this time of year, but don’t let that stop you. The further north you go—Rhinelander, Door County—the more connected the waterways become. Sounds like a good time for an adventure to me.

The Mighty Wisconsin River

For the record, Hopalicious goes great with some river floating. Get outside and do good. Let’s get to Suds.

-People of South Bend, IN, I present your local tap listings. Looks delicious.

-We chronicled this before, but it bears mentioning again: get your short story published on a six pack of beer. Really getting into the idea of microfiction, neat stuff.

-Get ready for some international awesomeness as our friend from Good Beer Hunting embarks on a sudsy journey to Sweden.

-More on Solemn Oath Brewing. I still can’t believe cool things are happening in Naperville…

-Port Huron brewing opens in the Wisconsin Dells. The waterpark capital of the Midwest looks to become a beer destination as well? I certainly hope so, it would make the annual family vacation so much more interesting.

-Beer Here: Booyah from Milwaukee Brewing Company.

-Finally, this Badger Hill release party sounds pretty cool to me.

Need more than just Suds? Follow us on Twitter (@midwestbeer), Facebook or send an email to mwbeercollective@gmail.com.

Suds: June 18

The Twin Cities have been a source of some of the best underground hip hop in the nation for the past decade. Thanks to the national success of Atmosphere, artists like Brother Ali, Toki Wright, Doomtree (and its individual artists SIMS, Dessa, Lazerbeak, and POS among others) and Eyedea and Abilities are now on the map. The collective Doomtree has been making a big splash this past year and looks to be taking the banner from Atmosphere who had led the Twin Cities movement thus far. Their latest album, No Kings, was well received and for good reason–it’s a great album. But there is one hip hop group that continually garners shoulder shrugs and quizzical looks whenever I mention their name.

Heiruspecs, out of St. Paul, meld jazz and rock into some of the best live hip hop I’ve ever seen. If you have never heard of them, check out their music video for “5ves” and crack open a St. Paul brew, Summit Saga.

Now for Suds:

- Summit Beer dinner at Cocina del Barrio tonight. There are only a few tickets left.

- The Better Beer Society is selling tickets for its Brown Bag Blind tasting #2 event. Get them before they are sold out!

- Hopped Up Caribou Beer Festival is sure to be one of the coolest (Get it? It’s up north.) beer festivals around!

- Beer Here: Three Kings Ale from Stevens Point Brewery

- Entrepreneur from Chicago to open Strange Pelican Brewery.

- Tickets are on sale now for Michigan’s Summer Festival.

- Who’s got better beer? Minnesota or Wisconsin? It’s a battle royale.

- Boulevard Brewing gets a much deserved honor.

- If you haven’t seen it yet, the folks at the Beer Dabbler have just published the first edition of The Growler, a bimonthly beer magazine.

Have Suds withdrawl? No worries! We’re back in full-force for all your craft beer needs! Tweet @MidwestBeer, we’d love to catch up.

http://growlermag.com/

Suds: May 11th

My day is full of moments where all I can say, emphatically, is “huzzah, science!” This blog started because of our fascination will the finer things in life: yeast ecology, complex predator-prey relationships, old-growth forests, succession and canopy-hole ecology (when a tree falls, an abundance of life sprouts up underneath, including morels). For every major question, humans have offered up both thoughtful and asinine responses, but there’s one question that just sort-of continues to linger: Why is there something rather than nothing?

Huzzah! Supermoon!

I haven’t read too much on the subject other than the standard texts, and I don’t think that I’ve come any closer to understanding, even with all the conversations I’ve had. However, I strongly believe with enough Bedlam, and enough good company, we can all reach a satisfactory answer.

-”If it’s not from Wisconsin, it’s not in this beer.” I don’t care that it’s a weiss beer, I would drink this all summer long. And the Badger red looks great on the label. Great stuff from Lakefront.

-Why this is the Trib’s beer of the month in May, I have no idea. Regardless, Robert the Bruce is one of the best things you could drink, ever. Seriously, though, don’t drink too many.

-Not too soon to be planning your Mother’s Day that takes place after Mother’s Day.

-Missed this: Small Bar Fullterton to become The Beer Bistro.

-This photo and article on Madison food carts is not to be missed. Long live the Isthmus.

-Bell’s is opening a new production facility, and they sure aren’t afraid to celebrate it.

-I will certainly be planning a stop to Minnesota for my Midwest road trip for one of these farm dinners.

-Finally, lots of awesome things on this brief Eater post. My mom grew up around the corner from Freddy’s and Mr. Banos is a good friend of my dad’s. Great taste in pizza all around.

Pizza and beer. Nothing better. Follow us on Twitter (@midwestbeer), like us on Facebook or send an email to mwbeercollective@gmail.com for more revelatory insights.

Suds: May 9

Ooooh boy. Looks like time slipped away from us. Between finals, the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and the beckoning of summer, I’ve found little time for thinking about beer (although I did put in an order to Northern Brewer for 2 sets of beer ingredients). Here are some tunes to get you ready for summer:

I could use a Spotted Cow right now, so grab one for me and let’s get to Suds.

-Seriously, what are you waiting for? It’s Madison Craft Beer Week!

-Lots of winners and losers at the World Beer Cup, but this article was the most accessible for me: Revolution Brewing takes home some gold. For a list of winners, follow this link.

-Beer Here: Hinterland Brewing’s Saison.

-I, for one, never thought Naperville (!) could be home to something this cool. Awesome design, looking forward to the beer.

-Per usual, great political coverage from a bunch of guys drinking beer.

-Yeast pitching rates and what it means for you.

-Indeed, it is time.

-Finally, not beer related and apparently for people 60 and over, but this looks like an awesome few days on the Mighty Mississippi.

Need more than just Suds? Follow us on Twitter (@midwestbeer), like us on Facebook or send emails to mwbeercollective@gmail.com.

Suds: May 4

Ten points to this guy for his ingenius liquid metal battery. 25 points to his staff of post-grads and doctoral students that helped him actually create it. Hurray, for grad students! You make the research & development world go round.

- Half Acre is opening a taproom and guests can get food delivered from local restaurants. Brilliant colla-beer-ation!

- Finch Beer is hosting a Kickstarter campaign for Galerie F featuring limited edition screen prints.

- Really cool opportunity for fellow beer bloggers: “At Zephyr Adventures, we have teamed up with World Class Beer,Untappd, New Belgium and Draft Magazine to give away two spots on our upcoming Colorado Hike, Bike, Beer and BrewPubs adventure plus roundtrip airfare to Denver.”

- Bell’s is on the docket for Fitty’s First Friday tasting at Thomas Liquor.

- Cinco de Maibock at Town Hall tomorrow.

- The 15th Annual Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival is set for July 27 & 28.

- Calling all Madisonians (and Wisconsinites at large)! Madison Craft Beer Week is underway!

- Beer Baron on the Wisconsin colla-beer-ation, Common Thread Ale.

- A new tour brings Twin Cities residents to three local breweries.

Suds: May 2

It’s official. Memorial Union Terrace on Lake Mendota in Madison is 100 years old! The social mecca of local Madisonians, students and alumni alike, the terrace offers a respite from the gruel of schoolwork and office work with its calming view of the lake and ever-flowing pitchers of beer. When Spring comes and the sun burst chairs are put out, the terrace has a gravity all its own that draws in all of Madison for unknown reasons. For those of us that were fortunate enough to spend four years at the terrace it has become a part of personal history: it’s where we grew from obnoxiously naive freshman into invincible sophomores into self-assured and adventurous juniors into the nostalgic post-grads we are today.

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Terrace by visiting this summer, drinking a pitcher of Ale Asylum Hopalicious and playing a game of cribbage. Check out their events page to find the perfect weekend to make the trek.

- Fitger’s beer is back in Duluth?!

- Brewed Awakening book events coming up in Minnesota.

- Bell’s is opening their new brewery to the public on May 19.

- What? You need another reason to go to Madison? How about Madison Craft Beer Week starting this Friday.

- Don’t worry Minnesota, you can have your cake and eat it too. Minnesota Craft Beer Week starts May 13. Here we come Madison!

- Check out what Sun King has brewing up on their events page.

- Surly Brewing is hosting a fundraiser and brewery tour in memory of Ultimate player, Marty Bakko.

- Congratulations to Great Lakes Brewing being named Best Local Beer by Cleveland Magazine.

Share your favorite Terrace photo by tweeting @MidwestBeer #TerraceSummers, or by posting on facebook.com/mwbeercollective. 

Suds: April 30

Imagine having a running fever for an entire year. Now imagine having a 165-show tour, playing in a different state and sometimes country every night. That is the backdrop to Xan Aranda’s concert documentary, Fever Year, which follows musician Andrew Bird as he limps (literally) across the finish line of his marathon tour. Rarely do we get a glimpse of Bird’s personality other than the eccentric comments he makes between songs during his concerts, but this documentary approaches his personal life with delicacy and grace. True to the spirit of an Andrew Bird concert, find this documentary at a film fest near you because it is a one-time affair. Crack open a Finch Cut Throat Pale Ale and enjoy the trailer.

- A nice write-up on Harriet Brewing’s Sol Bock Revival courtesy the fine folks at Heavy Table.

- Don’t be scared of this Dangerous Man. He just makes good beer.

- Tomorrow night there is a Cask Ale Beer Dinner at Great Waters Brewing Co.

- Beer Here! It’s Pearl Street Brewing’s D.T.B. Brown Ale.

- Bell’s Brewery to sell?! Maybe…

- A nice write-up on Virtue Cider’s RedStreak from ex-Goose Island brewer Greg Hall.

- Great article on Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head including what happened to his show Brewmasters.

- Dark Lord Day came and went and a good time was had by all 6,000+.

- The Beer Dabbler will be putting on festivals all summer long.

- Another colla-beer-ation that should yield a tasty product.

At the MwBC we’re all for Colla-beer-ation, so give us a shout by tweeting @MidwestBeer or sending an e-mail to mwbeercollective@gmail.com and let’s get brewing. 

Suds: April 27

I am up way too late watching an inconsequential hockey game right now to worry about anything more than just the links today. Here’s probably the most controversial NHL goal ever:

Stick tap to my roommate for seeing this one through with me. Grab yourself some Bedlam, and let’s get to Suds.

-More on the Lagunitas Chicago facility.

-Beer here: Manoomator from Cap Brewery.

-Summer brew tour in Michigan? Don’t mind if I do. Wouldn’t mind a stop at the Sleepy Bear Dunes either.

-More on Greg Hall’s cider.

-Guys drinking beer named for man’s best friend.

-Dark Lord Day variations?

-Finally, and then there were eight.

Need more than just Suds? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@midwestbeer) or send an email to mwbeercollective@gmail.com.

Suds: April 25

Last night, I hit up the Fulton Beer Dinner over at the Bulldog NE and enjoyed a flight of their beers paired with tasty, well-portioned eats. Among those eats I had my second memorable run-in with pork belly, an increasingly popular cut of pork akin to bacon. If you have the means (i.e. a good local butcher) I highly recommend getting a cut of pork belly and using it in my favorite recipe. In the mean time, check out this new installment of Brewing TV and crack open your favorite chocolate stout–a Rush River Nevermore is a good option.

- Tonight at the Pig & Fiddle in Minneapolis is the Tallgrass Beer Dinner. Check out the menu here and make your reservations.

- Tomorrow, don’t miss the Summit Beer Dinner at Seasons Tavern in Hudson, WI for a decidedly Midwestern experience.

- For Chicagoans, Summit Brewing is taking over the taps at Burger Bar tomorrow.

- University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank is the first stadium in the Big Ten to allow the sale of alcohol. Wisconsin, wha happened?

- Capital Brewery achieves Green Tier status. The way green beer should be. Kudos!

- What do Schlafy Brewing and the universe have in common? They are expanding!

- Check out What’s On Tap in Indiana.

- Iowa’s Craft Beer Festival is coming up in May. Support good beer and get your tickets today!

Want to write for the MwBC? Submit a sample of your writing to mwbeercollective@gmail.com!